Program
SWOT programmatics in USA : |
SWOT Programmatics in France : |
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SWOT mission is part of NASA decadal plan for study of global change. In the 2010 June document, «Responding to the Challenge of Climate and Environmental Change: NASA’s Plan for a Climate-Centric Architecture for Earth Observations and Applications from Space,» SWOT is identified as a two third of decadal Earth observation plan. Funding for years 2010 and 2011 has the goal to give high acceleration in development and launch of decadal plan recommended missions.
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CNES has included SWOT mission in its program for Earth Observation Future, after recommendation by Comité des Programmes Scientifiques (CPS).
On the 23th of March 2011, French governement has allocated 179 M€ of the "Plan d'Investissement d'Avenir" for development of SWOT project. |
SWOT is a fundamental tool to measure, understand, manage water in a global way.
Industrial activities requested for development and exploitation of this program will allow France to increase its competencies in this thematic domain.
Cooperation between France and USA for ALTIMETRY
The first satellite radar altimeter was launched on board Skylab in 1974 and the first satellite mission dedicated to the observation of the ocean surface was SEASAT, in 1978.
http://www.jpl.nasa.gov/missions/details.cfm?id=5971
The historical collaboration between CNES and NASA began with TOPEX/Poséidon (launched in 1991).
http://www.aviso.oceanobs.com/en/missions/missions-passees/topexposeidon/index.html
Jason-1 (launched in 2001 ) is Topex/Poséidon successor, from which it takes the major characteristics (orbit, instruments, measurement accuracy, …). Jason-1 is the result of a thigh international cooperation between space agencies (Cnes et Nasa), industries and users which lead to a reference mission for data quality, scientific and economical returns.
http://smsc.cnes.fr/JASON/Fr/
Altimetry satellite family continues with OSTM/Jason-2 (launched in June 2008 ).
http://smsc.cnes.fr/JASON2/Fr/
These missions have been developed jointly by NASA and CNES in a bilateral cooperation scheme. NOAA and EUMETSAT were also involved in JASON 2 mission..
http://www.eumetsat.int/Home/Main/Satellites/Jason-2/index.htm?l=en
Behind all these satellites, other missions are contributing to a better time and space coverage, in peculiar altimeters from ESA programs, ESA ERS2, ENVISAT, CRYOSAT-2, Sentinel-3, the Indian-french program SARAL and the Chinese proram HY-2.
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